EuropaWorld 9/11/2001 Elephants Poisoned As Villagers Strike Back Against Depredations

WWF - the conservation organisation has issued a plea to save the elephants of north-east India which it says are being poisoned while the authorities turn a blind eye. WWF say that 31 elephants have died as a result of poisoning in the last ten weeks. The culprits, it alleges, are poor villagers whose harvests and homes are increasingly subject to depredations by hungry bands of elephants.

The real problem seems to be the continual loss of elephant habitat as forests are cut down to make way for agriculture, houses and infrastructure. As forests are broken up into designated 'reserves' elephants are trapped in small areas. When they break out they inevitably cause trouble for villagers. Protests to the authorities to do something about the problem have gone unanswered and now it looks as though the villagers are taking matters into their own hands.

Maybe the authorities have some sympathy, for despite what WWF refer to as 'this mass killing' happening under the noses of the civil, military and forest administration those authorities appear to be turning a blind eye to the tragedy.

"Thus the stage is set for one of the biggest threats to wildlife in countries like India where population pressure on the environment results in losses on both sides - people and wildlife," say WWF.

In Sonitpur district, the five reserves where the current elephant mass killings occurred have seen systematic destruction of forests, they say. At the same time, protests against elephant depredation have become more broad-based and organised.

No one has yet been apprehended over the elephant killings. Forensic tests revealed the presence of the pesticide Dimecron, a banned item, in elephant carcasses discovered in and around Nameri National Park in Assam state.

"Conservationists want an end to this tragedy," say WWF. The State Government of Assam must step in to prevent people from taking the law into their own hands. "Working together with conservationists, the human-wildlife conflict can be reduced and need not escalate into an all out war between people and elephants, where neither wins."

WWF is urging people to write to the authorities to express concern. More details can be found at www.wwf.org